Tools for Change

POTENTIAL

2012-02-04T14:53:00.000-06:00

There has been a waxing moon since January 25^th. Waxing means that the new (dark) moon is in a state of becoming, growing into a big full circle. This is the best time to plant the seeds of plants meant to become above ground vegetation such as leafy greens, vines and flowers.

I decided to work with this moon energy to start my Spring garden. Crouching over the soil sprinkling various seeds, I found my mind wondering if a seed has any idea of its potential ; what it is meant to become. Does it simply do the best it can to survive at each level of its development or is there some vague image of completion that it carries in its core?

From there, I applied the same question to human life; my life. A small child lives each day watching, learning and wanting to become. The only image that I remember having of a possible potential would have been from watching an older sib or my parents. The desire to be and do as I witnessed becomes the motivator. As years pass, a greater awareness develops, then a dream or aspiration, but all along each of us just keep doing the best we can, trying to survive.

As I look back over the years I cannot remember a time when I was not trying to ‘become,’ even to the point of obsessing. Become a better student, better mother, better sales trainer, better businessperson...better, better, better. It fatigues me just to remember it all. Then I realized that the stress and fatigue of trying to be has been gone since I gave up trying and just started being.

The hard part was learning to be like the seed, releasing control of the outcome and just focusing on the practice of being with each day.

Forego the Dough

2012-01-22T17:16:00.000-06:00

Gluten is found in all grains; some more than others. Wheat is one of the major culprits and to my thinking, the original source of the sensitivity.

Wheat, like all grains is actually a grass. The part we eat is the seed. Its’ been around since the beginning of the planet in one phase of development or another. According to some accounts, the human race has been eating wheat since 8,000 years before the end of the Paleolithic period. However, not the wheat that is available today.

The wheat kernel contains a dormant embryo (in this case the germ ). It lays within the seed waiting for moisture to bring about the environment that creates action. Also within the seed is all the nutrition and vitality the embryo needs to supply life until it has set root and developed its true leaves. This nutritional substance is the endosperm; also known as gluten. It is a source of protein and starch. All of this is covered by layers of bran, then the husk or hull.

The word “gluten” comes from Latin. Gluten, meaning glue. Named so because it gives elasticity to dough, helps it rise and keep its shape. It gives bread products their spongy texture. It is also the standard base for wallpaper paste or glue for paper mache’ when mixed with water.

The wheat berry or seed ( shown in the diagram below) has a much larger area of endosperm than ancient grains used to contain. In the 19^th century agriculture began to ‘improve on nature’ by hybridizing wheat. One of the desired effects was to create a plant that would produce greater grain/ more flour. By the first part of the 20^th century the US was growing wheat with larger kernels and the food industry was removing all germ and brand as well as the husk. Fluffy white flour with artificial nutrients was marketed. We were eating white; flour, sugar and rice. No fiber, just starch.

Early civilizations gathered and threshed wheat and other ancient grains by hand. Only the outside husk were removed. The remainder was boiled, steamed or ground to make a flour. The process allowed most of the bulk and fiber to accompany the glutinous endosperm through the process of digestion.

The reason hybridizing and processing creates a problem has to do with to the way our body digest food. The small intestine is where most chemical digestion and absorption takes place. It is the site where most of the nutrients from ingested food are absorbed. To offer a larger surface for the digested food or chime to pass, the first stage of the small intestine has folds or ‘fingers’ called villi. Minute food partials pass through and surround the villi fingers. These finger-like tiny hairs grab and absorb nutrients as foods pass through your lower digestive tract. When the diet is high in glutinous foods and low in fiber the gluten coats and covers the villi. Over time the coating causes the villi to suffocate and decay. All of this is compounded when sugared drinks accompany meals due to the sugars negative effect on necessary B-vitamins and minerals.

THE new year CHASM

2012-01-13T16:14:00.000-06:00

Am I the only one who feels that they are floating within a chasm? It’s as though ending the old Gregorian calendar year and the birth of a new year under the Chinese calendar has created a cradle or fertile furrow to birth new purposes and ideas. Having a full moon and its energy influence overseeing this period adds confirmation that this is a time to set new sites and take first steps toward seeing desires happen.

Since developing a 4^th dimensional approach to healing and the negative influences that affect health, I have started viewing most everything from an energy perspective. Overtime (and practice) a greater sensitivity and understanding to what might be labeled as Feng Shui, intuition or Shamanism has occurred which is a bit like peeking through stage curtains before a performance. Energy is what it is all about.

As for this calendar thing, part of the influence we’re feeling comes from (the energy) having a major part of the world population accepting and following a calendar based on the sun (which is changing) and trade. It is almost the 100^th monkey situation; enough people thinking (applying energy) about the same thing makes it true. However, in following the Gregorian calendar, we live just one beat out of step with nature . We are so used to the miss-beat that we ignore the sensation.

On the other hand, there are a great number that have been placing their faith (energy) on the Chinese system of time marking for thousands of years. It is a calendar that follows lunar AND solar (lunisolar). This system follows natural movements untouched by the influence of commerce…and yet following its energy flow can have a positive influence on prosperity. Each month follows one cycle of the moon. Over history it has become common knowledge the moon influences the oceans and other bodies of water such as our physical form and brain.

Setting direction for my new year as I float in the energies of this chasm, have me wondering, how might it enhance my health and future designs if I were to follow the current trend of most of East Asia? That is to use the Gregorian calender (called the Yin calendar), for day-to-day activities (business, birthdays, etc.) but the Chinese (or Yang) calendar for season changes and other important aspects of life. I believe it would benefit my efforts (energy) similarly to how the old Poor Richard’s Almanacs helped farmers in the past.

January 23^rd begins the Chinese year of the dragon. As a person born under the “Rat” sign, I’m looking forward to a very auspicious year.

Make It Healthy

2011-12-26T13:27:00.001-06:00

I love spicy chili when the weather is cold. However, when you are trying to get lean or to get your cells clean there is nothing in chili that = health. It’s a T&T pleaser (that’s tummy and tongue). Whether you eat canned chili or you make it from scratch it’s vibrational frequency for health is just under ‘maintain’. That means more energy is required from your body to break down and assimilate the food than it actually gives back.

Making chili from scratch with freshly picked veggies can boost the frequency a notch just as blessing the items as you mix them gives an edge. However, let’s face it, good chili is cooked to death ...it mingles the flavors. So, the end result is that it may offer some vitamins, proteins, and herbal benefits from possibly using cayenne pepper, onions and garlic but as a component to restoration of health and vitality, it falls short.
Here’s what I do to my home made chili that allows my T&T to be happy but lifts the healing and health vibration to the brew.

Pictured is my chili served with my all 3 of my corner posts for health; slaw, chimol and sprouts. First lay a bed of slaw. Then ladle chili to cover. Now the next of my corner post; a couple tablespoons of chimol. The next level is some plain yogurt or cottage cheese for probiotics and then top with live sprouts. Not the prettiest dish but the additions take regular chili from a 5 to a powerhouse 10. It also lets you serve your family what they want but turn your dish into what you need. Salud !

COLE SLAW: my corner post for healing

2011-12-10T13:11:00.001-06:00

Have you ever really looked at Slaw? It’s basically shredded cabbage. However, when you start to research that unpretentious long keeping little vegetable you find it to be a nutritional storehouse. It’s extremely high in calcium; more so than broccoli, which many nutritionists spout as the best source of organic calcium.

Also listed very high on cabbage’s nutritional profile are the B vitamins: Niacin (B3), Riboflavin (B2) and Thiamine (B1). Stress, alcohol and sugar destroy B vitamins. People dealing with stressful conditions, illness or post surgery need extra amounts of these B’s.

These three B’s aid digestion, stabilize emotions, relieving irritability and depression while generally aiding the entire nervous system. They are even more effective when combined with calcium and phosphorus. The combo helps prevent constipation or edema and assist the urinary system. What a master plan that cabbage would naturally be very high in those minerals as well.

There are also high levels of potassium and organic sodium (not like table salt) which are beneficial to heart function and problems like arrhythmia. All these nutrients along with high levels of antioxidants, Vitamins A&C make slaw a wonderful meal for your over-all health. Add some carrot to your slaw and you’ve doubled the available vitamin A and organic sodium.

My rabbits and I eat slaw every day. I make up a half gallon container twice a week. Having this in easy reach in the refrigerator means that no matter what I serve there a fast easy salad slaw to enhance the meal.

I learned from my rabbits, Patch and Magic, not to eat slaw that is over 3 days old. I’m not sure why but animal wisdom is often greater than ours.
Patch and Magic like their slaw plain but I put a small amount of dressing on mine. I vary it day to day. Sometimes a bit of mayonnaise and lime juice, or some olive oil, agave nectar and celery seed, or maybe just some sweet onion vinegarette. But I always top it with some Honduran Chimol…another health corner post. Look for these recipes and more proportionally raw on my website www.wisdompathway.com/recipes.htm

Start Small to Stay on Track

2011-12-05T15:27:00.001-06:00

The best time to make a change is at the beginning of some landmark: a new week, month, a birth date or the ever popular, new year. However, internet research states that only 12 percent of Americans successfully achieve their New Year's resolutions. Did the desired improvement lose importance or was the goal too big?

What keeps those remaining 88% from achieving their goals can be as varied as the folks themselves. Some may have just forgotten their intent, with others it could be procrastination or ‘failure to launch.’ However, I bet if the goal began as one smaller and easier to reach, each small success would have rolled into another to create a giant victory.

Another ingredient to overcoming hurdles to change is having a circle of close friends or others with similar goals that will support and believe in what you are trying to achieve. Over the years, I have coached and supported people in numerous areas of the world to overcome their fears, hesitations and moments of discouragement. All alone, the decision to turn their lives around can sometimes feel overwhelming and a bit frightening. Visit my website www.wisdompathway.com/free.htm to read testimonies. You might consider enrolling in my free “Empowerment Group” to stay on-track with your goals. Each member receives 3 positive messages a week. I send one on Mondays to help set your course. The second one will be in your e-mail box on Wednesday to help you over the hump while the final one will show up each Friday, helping you stay on-track for the weekend.

It took big dreamers to see the possibility of a transcontinental railway connecting each coast of the United States. But it was the daily focus of laying one rail after another that made it happen.

Guess What's Coming to Thanksgiving Dinner.

2011-11-22T21:06:00.000-06:00

Remember 1966, when Simon and Garfunkel sang about Scarborough Fair and 4 simple herbs? They were parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

The USDA and other modern nutritional organizations have us thinking of food consisting mainly of vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and calories. Yet every naturally occurring food source item contains a complex mix of natural chemical substances that have an action or reaction within our bodies. Some of these actions might clean sooth, stimulate, nourish or relax.

The 4 herbs made famous by Simon and Garfunkel, were supposedly the reason many grave robbers survived the Black Plague of the mid 1300’s. The thieves managed to protect themselves from the disease by wearing and consuming these herbs. Today we use them to flavor foods but originally their connection to food was in helping retard the purification of meat in days before refrigeration. They do this by inhibiting the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungus. My favorite use is in my savory Thanksgiving dressing.

A little research on the herbs gave me a greater respect for their place in my kitchen plus an indispensable addition to my potted herb gardens. I found parsley to be a vitamin and mineral powerhouse containing a large amount of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll cleans the colon (therefore the lungs) and builds healthy blood and muscle. Historically Parsley Teas were used as kidney stone, bladder infection, and jaundice medications, as well as digestive aids. Parsley is a natural diuretic, high in vitamins A, C, E and K and was the only thing my rabbit, Patch, was interested in eating after we had the poor guy neutered.

According to an article on www.diet-and-health.net, the oils and tannins in Sage have astringent, antiseptic, and irritant properties. Therefore it becomes an important herb in medications for mouth sores, mouth ulcers, thyroid and sore throat medications. Most viruses enter your body through your mouth or nose. Sage is used to offset endless list of problems in humans. I usually recommend it for hormone imbalance, excessive sweating, and it was the cure for restoring color to my first gray hair.

A search on Rosemary shows that it is under study for its antioxidant properties. They find that it can help stop free radicals before they damage your cells. It also contains antimicrobial properties, which means it kills bacteria and fungi. Rosemary also increases alertness, memory and concentration when used as a tea or tonic. I usually pass a small bottle of the essential oil around the room when I teach workshops. It can reduce fatigue, depression and anxiety and encourages calmness.

Surfing Wikipedia I found the essential oil of common thyme (Thymus vulgaris), contains 20-54% thymol. Thymol is an antiseptic and the main active ingredient in various mouthwashes. Before the arrival of modern antibiotics, oil of thyme was used to medicate bandages. It has also been shown effective against various fungi that commonly infect toenails.

All the more reason to make my dressing. Why don’t you try researching some of your favorite cooking herbs to find how much they help your health. And remember ‘all things in moderation, ‘ herbs can be self-limiting. Happy Thanksgiving. Among other things, I am thankful for what herbs give us.

Thanks for the help from these sites.

http://www.gardensablaze.com
http://www.gardenguides.com

Dissatisfaction Invariably Causes Change

2011-10-17T16:20:00.000-06:00

The above statement is a quote from a book that I wrote 4 years ago, “Gringos in Paradise: Our Honduras Odyssey.” However, this morning as I began to stretch into my first yoga posture, those words from the past floated through my awareness again. Perhaps it was because this was the first time in 3 weeks that I had made any effort to practice yoga. I was making time today because of pain.

The influences of our culture seldom teach us to move toward pleasure. Since change is inevitable, unplanned alterations are bound to occur which clash with our personal desires. The resulting conflict creates pain. In my situation, preoccupation with an upcoming trip and the resulting hours of restriction in planes and airports kept me uninterested in the usual practices that offer me pleasure. Things like quiet stretching and focused breathing.

I could have set aside time during my travels for those practices but I chose to surrender to the week. It was a week of eating for fun and living within the lifestyles of others. The sciatica and joint pain that returned due to those choices now leaves me faced with another decision. I can move from pain with shots and pills, or recommit myself to the personal practices that restore balance and bring about the pleasure of good health.

I once heard, “Nobody likes change except a baby.” Yet I have listened to plenty of babies cry while their diapers are changed. That leads me to believe that it is probably not the course of change but the feeling that we have no choice in the matter. When change comes from our admitted intent, we feel empowered. When ‘fate’ hands us change we feel victimized. Was I a victim of air travel and family practices or was I paying the consequences for placing my needs second? In not practicing the personal habits that make me feel good, I had surrendered my ability to cause positive change; the continued healing of my body.

To change your circumstances ...

2011-09-22T14:23:00.000-06:00

To change your circumstances you must see beyond your present condition. That statement affects every aspect of our lives; the physical, emotional, and mental. It means that conditions of health, career, finances even relationships can be improved once we decide they should be different.

Two men looked out of prison bars;
one saw mud, the other saw stars. -MaryKayAsh-

Manifestation techniques such as the Law of Attraction, Positive Thinking, Treasure Mapping and others are rooted in this simple understanding; that what you think about, you bring about.

Creating a mental picture of what you desire has to become a priority. Once our minds give fertile space for this picture to grow, we, then, need to experience it. Allow yourself to sense how wonderful and satisfying it feels to have it. Store those feelings away in your memory bank so they are easy to experience over and over again.

Be cautious about reading all the negativity in the papers, listening to news media reports or the woes of compadres around the water cooler or you might find their perceptions influencing yours. Erase any negative images that try to over-ride your positive new image. Guard the created image as though it were a sacred object, because it is…it is your future. Nothing can change without that new imagine.

The next part is the “walk in faith.” Believe in yourself and know that you are part of a bigger picture than you understand. Hold the new image but do the daily things needed to ALLOW your new future to be born.

I think there is something, more important than believing: Action! The world is full of dreamers, there aren't enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision.- W. Clement Stone –

What will you change? Tell me.

Self Discipline

2011-09-02T16:33:00.000-06:00

With each new blog, I promise myself to become focused and disciplined in making posts. As you can see from the dates, I have failed. This procrastination trickles into my exercise schedule, my Facebook and other media posts, and even my correspondence efforts. Does anyone else have this problem?

It feels like there is just too much going on. As I reexamine what I’ve done that could cause the hours to vaporize, I see so many different interruptions or distraction that I don’t know which one to blame. As with most chronic behavior…why is it so much easier to give self-destructive habits priority over sound, healthy, logic?

I learned that we invest the most time into the thing from which we want the most benefit. An example is that if a child learns that more attention is gained from misbehaving than from being good, they will be naughty…even if the attention they receive is painful. Applying that information here; we get endorphin releases from every emotion we feel whether it is pain or pleasure. After a while, our addiction to the chemical causes something similar to a scratch in a record...an easy path to follow. I believe that when we are not getting enough endorphins from 'happy' or healthy habits we fall back on the other.

I’ve remembered a tool that may allow me to retrain the source of my stimulus. During my years in sales I learned about making a ‘5 Most Important Things’ list. To do this, simply write a list of the 5 most important things you want to complete the next day. It helps to write them in order of their priority. Then check off each item as it is completed; a nice neurochemical release in itself. The list helps keep you on track regardless of interruptions. If by some chance, the list is not completed by the end of the day, just move that item(s) to the top of the next day’s list. Ahhhh, that feels better already.

Vitality From Food

2011-05-11T13:12:00.000-06:00

Vitality from food, oxygen and exercise is an absolute must in combating chronic conditions. Stress, whether emotional mental or physical, weakens the immune system which can then ripple to other body systems. I did some experimenting on this theory using our pets this past year. (Yes, I do animal test, but only after experimenting on my husband and I first.)

We began renting the downstairs rooms to volunteers that come to Honduras. The change in traffic through our front gate along with whatever volunteers may have handled in the world outside rippled into the lives of our 3 animals. Patch, the rabbit, developed a chronic weepy eye and our cat, Pueo, lost weight and began to groom herself hairless. Even the dog got went off her feed.

There are few small animal vets here; dogs, horses and cows are about the only animals people are willing to spend money on. When I called the vet about our rabbit he recommended some eye drops containing boric acid and zinc from the Ag. store. Weeks of applying the drops brought no improvement. I gave up the process and started an on-line research. What I learned was that my cute, manly,3 year old bunny was considered obese by rabbit standards. Armed with this information I chose to take all sweet, fresh fruit along with the concentrated rabbit pellets from his diet. I replaced these with sprouted lentils and crisp vegetables. Within 10 days the weepy eye was corrected and he was out in the yard playing instead of just lying out around the downstairs patio.

In Pueo the cat’s case, my research brought awareness that my 10-year old feline had been on the same diet for years; canned tuna and dry cat food. Although nutritious, it was dead. The lack of variety in her diet compounded by the lack of fresh enzymes left her unprepared for the stress created by all the changes around her. I started her with liquid Dulse for minerals and coaxed her to eat raw fish and raw, creamy, milk from the dairy across the road. After 2 months on this program she has regained her weight and no longer has gaps in her hair.

If you have a health condition that has been challenging you for a while you might want to look at building your body’s vitality with lots of fresh vegetables, high enzyme foods such as sprouted seeds and grains and lots of friendly bacteria from whole fresh dairy or probiotics. One way to easily add more fresh veggies is to start consuming a popular Honduran food called Chismol. Its a blend of vegetables preserved in lemon juice and apple cider vinegar that you add to your regular meals.

Write me if you’d like the recipe for the Chismol. It is a great summer salsa.

Vitality

2011-02-10T10:57:00.000-06:00

I’ve been writing a lot about vitality lately and with chronic conditions, it’s a major missing link. If the word ‘chronic’ is defined as; slowly developing, long-term, then it only makes sense the pain, struggle, worry or fear created by it would have a weakening affect on every area.

People struggling with chronic conditions, whether in their health or relationships, invariably lose the vitality needed for hope, courage or desire.
An easy little exercise that can open a door to a few moments of peace and freedom is to close your eyes, then take and releasing a deep cleansing breath. Give yourself permission to imagine yourself as a free, wild animal…possibly an eagle, dolphin, mustang or other. Let your imagination loose. See yourself flying, or running free. Feel the wind beneath you, or the water rushing past your face. Travel as far as you choose.

When you are ready to return and open your eyes. You may be amazed at how much stronger and lighter you feel. It’s what freedom feels like. Now that you are acquainted with the feeling, practice this exercise every day, waiting for the bus, or at the doctor’s office or before bed. The more you practice it the longer the feeling stays. Soon it will be YOUR normal feeling and will create the change you are looking for in your life.

My next post we can examine how food allows healing by offering vitality.

Acceptance

2011-02-09T20:02:00.000-06:00

I was recently challenged to answer a question: “How would you describe total health and wellness?” A thousand textbook answers raced to be first in my rational. Yet within the unrecognizable barrage came a calm realization that none of them was the appropriate answer. It was the word acceptance that felt correct.

In the fields of energy medicine there are certain emotions that are restrictive to the flow of vitality and others that expand and support the flow. Grief, remorse, despair, shame and depression are considered ‘heavy’ emotions. These states involuntarily cause breathing to become shallow which constricts energy flow, causing the chest, shoulders, heart and lungs to feel as though they are under pressure or weight.

As an interesting exercise, close your eyes, relax and just think about the words: Grief, remorse, despair, shame, depression. After a minute or two, you will likely feel your posture has subtly changed and that there is a heaviness on your chest above your heart. If you were to continue in this condition, the restricted flow of energy would begin to create sensations in the areas farthest from the heart; your hands, fingers, feet and toes. Just like shutting down the flow of water to an irrigated field, the crop would start to wither and possibly die.

Now, return to your relaxed, eyes closed position and start thinking the words: love, peace, joy, happiness, gratitude, acceptance. Without intent, your chest begins to expand, breathing becomes fuller while the neck and shoulders relax creating a sense of well-being. The previous dense energy is dissipating, being replaced with one that is lighter and more expansive. The longer these thoughts are held the farther reaching this energy expands.

The word acceptance, unlike its near relatives, submission and surrender, does not require giving in or yielding one’s will. It’s more like transcending will by recognizing that even if one doesn’t understand the why of a thing, what is occurring has a greater benefit than possibly meets the eye. There is no bad, no mistakes, only something to be learned. Acceptance is how we receive gifts.

The Day Of the Dead

2010-11-01T21:21:00.000-06:00

Today begins the Day of the Dead festivities in many Spanish-speaking countries south of the Rio Grande. This is a time to honor loved ones who have passed on. It is also a time to celebrate the goodness of life, in general. In many countries, graveyards are decorated with brightly colored fabrics and flowers. Music is played, songs are sung and the favorite foods of the departed are prepared and enjoyed in their honor.

Nov. 1st is dedicated to the ‘Innocents’: A day to remember those that passed before they were old enough to have tasted life at all. Although I lost a sister within hours of her birth, today day holds special significance for me because it was the day my younger brother, Ralph, dropped dead just six years ago. He was 53 years old.

His life was never easy. He was conceived after our father had had lost his job and homestead. Dad and Mom already had to young babies to feed; I was only nine months old at the time. They had to pack up what they had and return the D.C. area to live with Mom’s family until Dad could find work. I don’t think life was intended to be easy for this one. It was as though he was an angel, being tested to earn his wings. He was only nine years old when a tobacco truck catapulted him thirty feet off his bicycle, breaking his right arm and left leg. He spent two tours in Vietnam Nam; dealt with the hardships of divorce and much later suffered third-degree burns over most of his body when a battery vat blew up at his work. He was never able to work in daylight again.

Any one of these (and other) experiences could have forged him into a bitter man. Many people use the hardships of life as an excuse to act out their pain and anger, however Ralph never seemed to lose his sweet, caring demeanor. He and his second wife, Kathy shared their home with over twenty children besides their own during the years together.

I don’t have many pictures of my brother. But the favorite that I do have and that I dig out each year around this date, is one taken of he and I with our older and younger brother. That sweet expression on his face is one he never lost.

The Anniversary of Stone Soup!

2010-10-11T14:19:00.000-06:00

I don't know where the year has gone. The days blurr before my memory like warm soft butter spread over glass. I began a new blog that offers meditation and visualization tools... ">www.wisdompathway.blogspot.com < ...why? I don't know;I never seem to keep up with this one. However, while in Blogspot I looked in to read my last post and was amazed to read that it is the Stone Soup story. The synchronicity is wonderful because WE ARE having a gathering for the soup this Thanksgiving; finally a year after the post!

If you are in El Porvenir on thanksgiving come by around noon.

Attitude, Gratitude, and a pot of Stone Soup.

2009-11-17T13:55:00.000-06:00

My attitude about Thanksgiving has become somewhat UN-American over the past few years. As much as I love the taste of turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie a portion of me is appalled by the mass slaughter and gluttony that has developed around a day created for giving thanks. (don’t even get me started on football and shopping)

For the last ten years I have intended to set aside that day as one of fasting. I like the idea of giving food (or money) that would be spent on a family feast to families less fortunate. However, each year I cave into friends or relatives that want to gather and enjoy the current traditions at our home.

I thought that moving to Central America would allow me to honor my intuition. However, local neighbors with family living in the US were curious about the holiday, so I prepared the normal feast for them our first year. In years since friends have come to visit and I cave again. Last year I announced to my husband that he was on his own for meals on Thanksgiving. My announcement reminded him to tell me of an invitation he accepted with the missionaries on the beach.

Possibly someone with greater fortitude can turn from the day of feasting, ‘cold turkey’, but for me it seems an effort doomed to failure. The perfect solution came while with the missionaries last year. An exhausted lady missionary told me that she and one employee prepared the entire meal. After asking why she hadn’t allowed any of us to bring something she responded that so many poor could not help that she preferred no one did.

With those words I remembered the STORY OF STONE SOUP

There was once a young traveler, hungry and without money, when he happened on a small rural village. He approached the first cottage he saw and asked if the family could spare some bread for a hungry traveler. "This is a very poor village," grumbled the man who had answered the door. "We barely have what we need for ourselves; be gone."

The traveler thanked the man and went on to the next residence but at each house he met with the same reply. Discouraged and hungrier than before the young traveler came up with an idea. He would prepare something to help the villagers. Approaching the next house he announced that he wanted to give the impoverished village a gift. He would cook for them; however he would need a large pot and a place to build a fire. Figuring that the lad might be crazy but deciding the pot was too large to steal, the inhabitants of the house lent him a cauldron and directed him to the town square. It was the location where socials where held before the town's economy died. The lad found the place then walked to the river to collect water and find the perfect rock.

Now the local folks were very curious about this young man and a few had followed at a discreet distance to watch. Of course he knew they were watching and so he made a grand show of searching and examining each large stone. "Aha!" The young traveler finally said, as he lifted a large smooth stone to the sky. "This is the perfect stone for soup."

"Stone soup," questioned the watching villagers? "Have any of you ever heard of such a thing? I believe it is a trick and we will need to watch this stranger." And with that the townspeople followed the traveler back to the town’s central, he carrying the stone and they the water.

The traveler carefully placed the stone in the giant pot of water, then built a fire below. Meanwhile the word was beginning to spread that a stranger was making Stone Soup. As the townspeople gathered to watch, the water was coming to a boil. "I don’t have a large spoon to stir the soup," he said, "does anyone have one I might use?" As a woman scurried off to bring a spoon the traveler added, "the soup smells weak like it might need salt."

"I have salt," volunteered another villager and off he ran to get the needed element. More villagers gathered and each watched with mixed feelings as the salt was stirred into the boiling water. The young lad then filled the spoon, blew it cool and savored the finished product. "Hummmm," he said. "It’s coming along, but it would be even better if it had a carrot or two."

"I have some carrots," a man cried and away he ran to gather them while a woman in the crowd, renowned for her cooking skills gruffly stated "whoever heard of putting carrots in a soup without potatoes. I’ll get some." And so the rest of the morning passed. Each time the young traveler would taste the soup it would be good but missing an essential ingredient; something that one of the villagers would contribute.

By noon the delicious aroma of soup fill the air and the remaining inhabitants of the village followed their noses to where the townspeople were gathered. The young traveler ladled soup into every bowel, more than enough for every person. Individually each family had felt needy but collectively they were rich. This was the gift from the traveler.

What Do I Want?

2009-10-15T18:55:00.000-06:00

One of my friends has a signature on her e-mail that states “The happiest people don’t have everything…they are just happy with what they have.” Noble words yet they always leave me feeling that there is a question that has not been answered. An event in my barrio brought her statement and the shadowy question to mind again. I found the question weaving its way through the jungle of critical judgments filling my mind.

My tranquil Sunday morning had been suddenly shattered by the piercing sound of a siren, followed by the blast of a foghorn. This auditory assault continued for some time augmented with Riga- tone music; a kind of Latin Rap. All of this was amplified at a decimal that could shatter glass and from a distance of less than a block from my house. Even though this is typical of Honduran parties, advertising, or the beckoning of customers, I found my mind beginning a downward spiral into its “stink” mode. This negative mental chatter included the condemnation of folks that sacrifice their neighbor’s quality of life for a few extra Lempiras.

Then suddenly my friend’s phrase made its entrance into my thoughts shocking me out of my negative chatter by creating the diversion I needed to break free of the spiral. And as always it was followed by the question that demanded to know, “What do you want?”

Yes, what did I have planned today that the celebration would interfere with? By this time I recognized that the mix of noise and music was probably just that, a celebration since its location logically would attest to a birthday, wedding or such. Instead of pursuing my ‘stinkin’ thinkin’ I should be grateful that I do not live across the street from the little restaurante. Soon some other neighbor who speaks the language far better than I would ask them to tone down the volume. And that’s exactly what happened. As I write this a gentle mix of Caribbean, Popular Spanish and Ranchero music floats through the yard. It’s easy volume now a pleasure for the entire neighborhood.

It was much later that a quieter mind was again visited by the same calm, commanding presence of the question. Hum, so what DO I want, I thought? I decided to sit quietly and explore the question, probing the dark recesses of my mind until the light of awareness began to illuminate the core issue. I came to realize that the question was challenging me to decide what it would take for me to release critical judgment of others so I could have the life I wanted.

The temporal side of my friends message was a lesson I had learned years before; material things don’t make people happy. And beyond that, I had discovered that I could have any material thing I wanted just by deciding it and holding that positive intent. However there was a more important lesson that connected those two insights. It was that satisfaction is like gratitude; it helps create more, and that if those positive thoughts are expansive then negative thoughts would be constrictive energy.

So, there it was the question that insisted I bare my soul of ego and stand naked, vulnerable before the trappings of the world. As I surrendered to the question I could feel the fear rise to protect me from the unknown. From what possible reality might be held in the light of truth. Yet as I pushed aside the fear and gave space to not only the question but each ensuing question that followed, I was finally guided to the eventual answer. I want to achieve my ultimate potential. It was the answer that becomes its own question.